Primary school putting kids "in the naughty corner" if they need the toilet

Sparklyfairy

hayleyc wrote: »

Personally I would complain whether it happens again or not. If no-one complains then nothing will change and no-one will think twice before implementing another barmy rule.

Valid point. I left today saying that if it happens to my children again, a complaint will be made and I won't warn them prior to filing it. Oh happy days!

Sparklyfairy

Nicki wrote: »

If they get 2 breaks and a lunch break though, like GIllyX has said, then they are never more than 90 minutes away from a toilet break. Which is a long time at age 6 if you need to go from the beginning of that time frame (but in that case they should go before going back into class). I'd be surprised if many kids of that age though couldn't last an hour from first faint urge to access to the loo.

The way it was handled in DS's school was that kids were encouraged strongly to go in the breaks, and asked to wait if they could until the next break, but in a genuine emergency would be allowed to go.

Learning an element of control is a skill we all have to learn and why not at school too? You can't up and leave for the loo in the middle of a wedding/funeral, halfway down the motorway, if you are the teacher not the pupil, or in lots of workplace settings, so it does need to be taught like any other skill.

ETA if you are going to complain though it needs to be bottom up, not top down as someone else advised you. LEA will not entertain a complaint unless you have exhausted the school procedure. So if complaint to head got nowhere, you need to complain to chair of governors first, then LEA.

It appears that the older the children get, control is easier to manage - but 6 years old? I'm not so sure. Control will come, but these measures at that age just shocked me. The school has led us to believe that genuine emergencies are allowed to use the loo - but this clearly isn't the case. I strongly feel it's down to the head, which she denies, but no one else has that authority to crack the whip so to speak like she has with this issue this past week or two..

tom9980

My partner is a reception teacher, a punishment for simply needing the toilet outside break is absurd, unless a child is doing it deliberately in order to disrupt and go and misbehave as they tend to do at a young age in the toilets.

The blame lies with your child's teacher they are the ones directly responsible for you child, if its a school wide policy then its the head. The school are handling this all wrong without a doubt.

j.e.j.

The primary school I went to was quite strict, and I seem to remember that by late juniors (age 9/10/11) we were expected to go to the loo during the breaks and were told off if we asked to go during class time. But not age 6!! That's crazy.

lolseh

When I was at primary school (would have been 14 years ago this happened) we weren't allowed to the toilet during class and one morning I had a really sore stomach but I was too scared to ask the teacher if I could go so of course I had an accident but I was too scared to tell anyone so I walked around like that all day. Mum was furious but the school weren't bothered because I should have known to go before coming to school! I was only 5 or 6 at the time.

You would have thought in that time things would have changed but clearly not

Sparklyfairy

tom9980 wrote: »

My partner is a reception teacher, a punishment for simply needing the toilet outside break is absurd, unless a child is doing it deliberately in order to disrupt and go and misbehave as they tend to do at a young age in the toilets.

The blame lies with your child's teacher they are the ones directly responsible for you child, if its a school wide policy then its the head. The school are handling this all wrong without a doubt.

Thank you. The only way I knew it was school wide is when my Yr4 confirmed it for their class - so I spoke to the Head. Yes, I agree that kids can play around in the loo & I'm sure this does happen there from time to time, but punishing them? In the naughty corner? Surely every primary school in the world has this problem & there must be better ways the school can deal with this. This isn't meant to be negative to you, just that I'm so so annoyed at the school & this situation I'm afraid my words my be read wrong & I don't want that!

Mandles

How shocking!

That is terrible. Poor children. They should tell them all to try and go at certain times in the day if it is a problem. I would worry about a school like that.

Surfbabe

Definately complain - start with the Headteacher in writing with a copy to chair of governors - information should b on school website. They must also provide you with a copy of their complaints procedure if asked. No point in going higher up ie LEa or Ofsted until school then governors have been approached

dark_lady

People in workplaces or children in schools cant !!!! or !!!! to order to suit someone elses timetable. Its called being human.
If some of these teachers have pets like cats or dogs i bet they dont expect them to !!!! to order.
So just apply the same principle to the people that you employ or to the children that you teach.

Idiophreak

Hmm, I actually wet myself in Year One because the teacher was punishing people who needed to go.

I'd forgotten about that til just now, thanks very much!